Centrifugal pump.



P. J. WIGKBLOM.

GENTRIFUGAL PUMP. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 5, 1908.

959,089. Patented May 24b, 19w.

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PETER J. WIGKBLOM, 0F BISHOP HILL, ILLINOIS.

CENTRIFUGAL PUMP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 5, 1908.

Patented May 24, 1910.

Serial No. 447,090.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PETER J. WIOKBLOM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bishop Hill, in the county of Henry and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Centrifugal Pump, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has relation to centrifugal pumps, and it consists in the novel construction and arrangement of its parts, as hereinafter shown and described.

The object of the invention is to provide a pump of simple construction, which is adapted to lift a liquid by centrifugal force, and deposit the same in a suitable trough provided for its reception. The pump may also be used for lifting a liquid which is mixed with gravel, sand, and other gritty substances or material, and therefore it is adapted to be used for placer mining purposes, irrigation, etc.

In the accompanying drawing :Figure 1 is a side elevation of the pump with parts in sections. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of a portion of the pump. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view of a bearing used in the pump structure, and Fig. 4 is an end elevation of one of the branches used in the pump.

The supporting frame for the pump is in the form of a truss 1, which is provided at its top with a ball bearing 2. The shaft 3, is supported by and journaled in the said bearing 2, and is provided at a point in the vicinity of its upper end with a belt pulley 4. The belt 5, passes around the pulley 4, and cooperates with the belt tightener, which consists of the lever 6, which is fulcrumed at one end to the truss 1. The idler 7, is journaled for rotation upon the lever 6, and is adapted to bear laterally against one of the runs of the belt 5. The cable 8 is attached at one end to the free end of the lever 6. The pulley-block 9 is also attached to the free end portion of the said lever 6. The pulley-block 10 is attached to a fixed portion of the truss 1. The cable 11 is attached at one end to the pulley-block 10, and passes around the pulley in the block 9, thence around the pulley in the block 10, and at its opposite end portion extends substantially parallel with the cable 8.

From the above description it is obvious that when a pull is exerted upon the cable 8, that the free end of the lever 6 will be swung away from the belt pulley 4, and consequently the idler 7 will be moved away from the periphery of the said pulley 4, and the belt 5 may become slack. When on the other hand a pull is exerted upon the cable 11, the free end of the lever 6 will be swung toward the pulley 4, and the idler 7 will be correspondingly moved and the belt 5 will be relieved of slack and will be brought into tighter contact with the periphery of the pulley 4.

The chamber 12 is attached to the lower end of the shaft 3, and forms the intake port of the pump. The screen or other foraminous material 13, is located over the lower inlet of the said chamber 12, while the bits or cutters 14, are attached to the said chamber and project at their cutting edges or ends below the lower edge of the said chamber.

The lower ends of the pipes 15, connect with the top of the chamber 12. The said pipes rise vertically from the said chamber and merge into the horizontal sections 16, the outer portions of which merge into the vertical sections 17, which in turn merge into the horizontal sections 18, and which are provided with the downwardly and rearwardly disposed nozzles or extremities 19. Each extremity 19 is provided with a check valve 20. The pipes 15 are preferably arranged in pairs, the members of which are located diametrically opposite each other upon the top of the chamber 12, and consequently the weight of the said pipes is counterbalanced upon the said chamber.

The circular trough 21 is located under the discharge outlet or extremities 19, of the pipes 15, and the horizontal sections 18 of the said pipe extend over the edge of the inner wall 22, of the said trough. The outer wall 23 of the said trough is provided with an inwardly inclined or disposed hood 24, which is adapted to prevent the liquid from escaping from the trough by washing or splashing over the outer edge of the wall, 23, thereof. The ends of the extremities 19 are partially or wholly submerged below the surface of the liquid contained within the trough 21.

The operation of the pump is asfollowsz- To prime the pump an air-exhaustingmeans is connected with one of the extremities 19 12 being submerged) water is drawn 11f through the sieve 13, and the chamber 12 is filled, together with the lower portions of the pipes 15, and the entire portion of that pipe 15 to which the suction means is applied. The shaft 3 is then rotated through the instrumentality of the belt and the pulley 1. As the shaft 3 rotates the chamber 12 and the attached pipes 15 are carried around, and by centrifugal force the columns of water carried in the said pipes 15 pass along the sections 16, 17, 18 and out at the extremities 19 thereof, and into the trough 21. The check-valve 20 prevents air or other elements from entering the pipes 15 in the direction the reverse from that above described as the course taken by the liquid. When the said trough 21 becomes filled with the liquid and the extremities 19 of the pipes 15 become submerged or partially so in the said liquid contained within the trough, the liquid within the trough adds suflicient friction to the liquid passing through the said pipes to create vacuums therein which are filled by the liquid contained within the chamber 12. The pipes 15, together with their sections, are of peculiar configuration, and the disposition of the various sections of the said pipes are of importance in the present invention. When the liquid passes up the vertical lower sections of the pipes 15, it is thrown outwardly by centrifugal force and passes through the lower horizontal sections 16, thence up through the vertical sections 17, thence along the horizontally disposed sections 18, and out through the extremities 19, into the trough 21.

It will be seen that as the chamber 12 rotates the bits or cutters 1A are carried around, and should the said bits or cutters come in contact with solid material, such for instance as sand, gravel, earth and the like, the said bits will cut the same into fine particles, and the said material may be sucked up through the chamber 12, along with the liquid. This feature renders the present pump especially adapted to be used for irrigation and placer mining purposes, as in both of said uses, pumps must encounter more or less gravel and solid matter. Again, should the pump be used for mining purposes as specified, and the chamber 12 lowered into a shaft to such an extent that the cutters 14 come in contact with the surface of the bed-rock, the said cutters may carve a basin or sump in the surface of the rock, into which gravel, sand and other material may be washed, and from which the pump as herein described may elevate the same; 'Any material that can pass through the sieve 13, can readily pass through any other part of the pump, and the said sieve will prevent a rock or boulder from completely closing the lower end of the chamber 12.

Importance is attached to the fact that the pipes 15 are supported close to and parallel with the shaft 3 because, when the shaft is rotated, these pipes are subjected to less resistance by the water than would be the case if they were located at some distance from the shaft. Inasmuch as the resistance is thus reduced, there is no tendency of the pipes, when rotating, to cause the body of water to swirl and to thus become of less depth at the center than at the sides. Such swirling action tends to expose the intake chamber above the surface of the water unless the same is located at a considerable distance below the surface, this however being objectionable because the greater the depth of the intake chamber, the greater will be the friction between the pipes and the water. As a result of this structure the intake chamber can be located close to the surface and better results obtained than would be possible should the same be located at a considerable depth and the pipes 15 extended laterally within the water, thus increasing friction and the power necessary to operate the pump.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A centrifugal pump including a circular trough, a concentric vertical shaft extending there below, an intake chamber located at the lower end of the shaft and revoluble therewith, pipes extending from diametrically opposed portions of the intake chamber and close to and arallel with the shaft, the upper portions of said pipes being extended radially and terminating in nozzles inclined downwardly into the trough in a direction opposite to that in which the shaft rotates, and means for rotating the shaft.

2. A centrifugal pump including a circular stationary trough open at the top, a concentric shaft mounted for rotation, means for actuating the same, an intake chamber secured to and revoluble with the lower end portions of the shaft, pipes extending from diametrically opposed portions of the intake chamber and close to and parallel with the shaft, means for holding the pipes and shaft together, said pipes being provided adjacent the trough, with oppositely extendin radial portions terminating in downwardly inclined nozzles, the discharge ends of said nozzles being located below the surface of the Water contained in the trough, and overas my own, I have hereto afiixed my signahanging beams upon the outer Wall of the ture in the presence of two Witnesses. trough for preventing the Water Within said trough from Washing over the outer Wall PETER WVIGKBLOM 5 thereof during the movement of the nozzles Witnesses:

Within the trough. F. M. JOHNSON,

In testimony that I claim the foregoing JoHN A. STONEBERG. 

